


Ending and Beginning

by Activeimagination



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 17:02:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21274658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Activeimagination/pseuds/Activeimagination
Summary: Six Years from now. A passing brings people back to the village.Reunion 3.0 Fic.





	Ending and Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> First from me in a long while. Most likely the last. Hope you enjoy.

Harriet looked out the kitchen window, the bright winter sun was making the first of the season’s grass frost glisten and the small birds who did not make the journey south were availing of the food that her big hearted ex criminal of a partner had carefully laid for them. She sighed, another funeral of a village stalwart. 

At Leeds airport a man in his early thirties, one wedding ring on his finger and another around his neck was waiting at the baggage carrousel, twitching, eyes darting between the opening of the apparatus that would bring his bag out and his watch. The phone vibrates in his pocket and he knows it can be one of two people.  
‘Me Mum delegate the task to you now I’m north of the equator’.  
‘She just thinks it might be a bit much, you have not been long there’  
‘I need to be here for this, and besides Byron Bay is not going anywhere Paddy. Surely Eve will like seeing her big brother again and I want to see Vic, Seb and RJ….. look I need to go my bag is here and I don’t really want to be late given everything’. 

Aaron pulled slowly out of the Hertz compound and gave way to a police car heading towards the arrivals section. In a holding room another man looked into a mirror as he, for the first time in over six years, put a dark coloured tie around his neck. His navy blue suit hung a little loosely on him.  
‘Looking kind of sharp Sugden’  
‘Thanks’  
‘Ready?’  
‘Yeah’  
‘Hold them out’  
‘Jim, I’m not planning on doing a runner’  
‘And I’m not planning on getting the sack’

oOo

People waited outside the church as the hearse slowly meandered through the village, stopping slowly at the pub where Dianne once held sway. Chas, Paddy, Charity and their families joined the cortege. Chas couldn’t help but smile when she spotted Aaron running towards the church, she did not think it was necessary for him to come around the world but she was always glad to see him.   
‘Vic…look it’s Dad Aaron’  
‘Uncle Aaron Mum, please can I go say hello, I bet he has a pressie for me’  
‘SSh RJ we need to be quiet for Grandma, we will talk to Aaron soon’  
‘Oh, Yeah, Mum I miss Grandma’  
‘So do I Vic’  
‘I know boys, we all do…….I miss so many people today’  
‘Come on Seb, RJ let’s do our best to be quiet now’, Luke squeezed Vic’s arm looking warily in her direction. He knew Aaron never really accepted their relationship not even with him accepting that his brother did the most awful thing to the woman he loved.

‘We’re late, they have all gone in’  
‘We can still go in, it’s only five past’  
‘I don’t know…..maybe this is a sign’  
‘Come on Sugden, you’ve faced worse than this’  
‘Ok…Can I?’  
‘Robert you heard the words from the Governor’s mouth’  
‘That favour though if…..’  
‘Yes Robert that still stands, you have my word’.

They opened the door of the church quietly and slipped in. Harriet noticed them and faltered for half a second. Robert’s eyes took in the coffin in the centre of the aisle in front of the altar but he was equally interested in the living. At that moment Aaron felt something, a tingling down his spine and deep within him he knew that the reason, that remote possibility he did not even want to acknowledge he had countenanced, was here. He looked around and there, thinner, gaunt in his face, more grey hairs was the man whose wedding ring he had around his neck. 

Robert saw him looking and six years of pain, of the odd brute attack, of miserable isolation dissolved and he had confirmed for him that he had indeed made yet another horrible mistake in refusing visitation. Until the day both men themselves would die they would say that the funeral was a blur. Vic clocked her brother as she began her reading and made it her business to say that she knew Dianne would be happy to see everyone who had made the journey. Bernice, in a way unique to her, mentioned her mother’s love of justice and abhorrence of injustice and criminalisation of decent people. Robert smiled, his sister and step sister were, even in their grief, holding an arm out to him, they had done that when insisting he be told of Diane’s death and Bernice pointedly saying on the phone that she knew that the authorities would allow the journey. 

oOo

‘Aaron Dingle?’  
‘Who’s asking’  
‘Mum’  
‘Prison Officer Miriam Jacobs…..look this is a little unusual but if you would like to talk to Rober.. I mean the prisoner. We can accommodate that’  
‘No chance’  
‘Do you mind me asking who you are?’  
‘I’m his mother and were it not so the prisoner’s mother in law’  
‘Oh’  
‘Where?’  
‘Sorry?’  
‘Where can we have the chat?’  
‘Ah well we have a police car but if there were somewhere else and we could do a recie then’  
‘Back room’  
‘Over my dead body…Charity mind your bus’  
‘It’s my pub, back room of the pub, I’ll let you do the needful now’  
‘Aaron..please’  
‘Mum, I need this, I’m doing this’  
‘Come on Chas, we know he did what he thought was best’  
Paddy saw Aaron’s look and inwardly declared he would never get it right, even when defending Robert he was still wrong. 

oOo

‘We are outside the doors Sugden’  
Robert nodded and studied his nails until he was aware of the presence in the room. He looked up and it was like a thump to the stomach. He was silent.  
‘Wow this not wanting to communicate still stands then’  
‘Aaron’  
‘It speaks’  
‘Please’  
‘Please what… you trying to wind me up?  
‘This was a mistake’  
‘Add it to the list, it must be flipping long by now’  
He turned, his Mum was right, it was a mistake.  
‘It was too far Aaron’  
Aaron wheeled around ready to send his husband back to the Isle of bloody Wright  
‘Come again’  
‘I couldn’t make you come that far to see me, it would have made your life impossible’  
‘You are as cocky as always… it was not your flipin decision to make’  
‘Aaron it was for your good’  
‘My good, are you sure you haven’t been thumped in the head one too many times or are you insane. Have you any idea what it was like…to think that my husband had just decided to cut off contact just like that’  
‘It was the hardest thing I ever did. I told you never to forget you were the best thing ever to happen to me’  
‘See I know you did Robert but it was hard to remember that when I was left all alone here, knowing that you decided to cut us off, me, Vic, Dianne, Liv and Seb all of us, all of the people who loved you but…..but none of them like me…..none like me’.  
‘I know and I am so sorry’  
‘You always are’  
‘This was selfish of me’  
‘Surprise’  
‘I’ll go…. Goodbye Aaron and I meant what I said then, I always will’

oOo

‘Aaron love, what happened?’  
‘He’s gone…. And I don’t care’  
‘Don’t kid a kidder kiddo’  
‘Mum…’  
‘SSh love’  
They were interrupted by a knock.  
‘Mr Dingle if you wouldn’t mind’  
‘He won’t mind’ Robert charged in.  
‘Chas…Hi…Look Aaron I know you probably hate me but believe me I thought I was doing the right thing. I had to try to let you live your life, that beautiful life you deserved and not some warped one where it was month by month waiting for a visit, being neither here or there…all because of me…I knew Chas, Paddy, Liv would look out for you and that they needed you’  
‘What about what I needed’  
‘Officer I think we can go’ Chas squeezed his arm ‘He’s going to make you work for it Sugden’  
‘I know’  
‘Robert I would have gone anywhere for you’  
‘You shouldn’t have had to’  
‘I came from the other side of the world today’  
‘Huh’  
‘Jesus I think you have got thick. This tan isn’t from the dales in October you know. I’ve been in Australia for the last year, Byron Bay for the last three months’  
‘You…you emigrated’  
‘It is called travelling, I got a temporary visa due to my excellent mechanic skills’  
‘You came back for Dianne’s funeral, that was nice’  
‘Muppet’  
‘What?’  
‘Dianne was lovely yes, and if I was not 24 hours away I would have come for that. I wanted to see Seb again and well I thought…’  
‘You thought I might show’  
Aaron nodded.  
‘Yeah, although I swore blind to my Mum’  
‘I did what I did for the best reasons Aaron, I know it was hell, it was hell for me too.’  
‘I can imagine, I read up on that hell hole which sent me into a spiral let me tell you.’  
‘I know you tried to get me moved as well’  
‘That useless git of a solicitor tell you’  
‘Yeah’  
‘Rob…God I miss you so much’  
‘Right back at you’  
They were crying now, shaking with tears.  
‘Liv?’  
‘Spent time hating you then defending you, at the minute she is in a ohase of missing you, told me to say hey’  
‘She knew?’  
‘She thought and well Gabby’  
‘Of course’  
‘Thanks for being good to Seb, he called you Daddy Aaron today when I was talking to him’  
‘I skype him every week, Rebecca and Ross were good about it’  
‘Aaron…you know’  
‘Yeah, I know, you know too?’  
‘Always’  
They approached each other and kissed, melting into each other. 

‘Ahem…it’s time’  
‘No, please Robert no’  
‘Ok Jim’  
‘Robert we need to arrange my visit, you are not keeping me away this time, I swear I’ll bloody swim if I have to’  
‘You didn’t tell him, I swear Robert for a smartarse you can be dumb’  
‘Tell me what?’  
‘I will’, the make officer said, ‘Sugden has been a model prisoner, he is being transferred to Hotton Prison in a month to serve out the remainder of his time, we’ll miss his ugly mug’  
‘Wow, Rob that’s great, I mean eight years but you’re only an hour away’  
‘My God he does not know that either’  
‘Miriam..no’  
‘Robert for God’s sake, he had been granted a reduced sentence, down to seven, probably be out in six months all going well’  
‘Why did you not tell me?’  
‘I didn’t get a chance plus you are in Australia’  
‘Stop making decisions for me or I swear’  
‘We need to go now’  
‘Aaron…I know it is a lot to ask but I would love if you are still around for you to come visit me in Hotton when I get there’  
‘No chance’  
‘Ok…..I understand’  
‘You must be off your rocker if you think I’m waiting until Hotton, I’m going to the Isle of Wright as soon as I can, I take it there’s a bloody B and B there.’  
‘You don’t’ have to’  
Aaron went to him, kissed him and showed him the ring around his neck.  
‘It never left….now take him before he says something else stupid….When is visiting next by the way?’  
‘Thursday…you can book online’  
‘See you Thursday so Mr Sugden Dingle’  
‘See you Mr Sugden Dingle


End file.
